#35 - Trish Tonaj - Building a Global Entrepreneurial Community

In this episode of "Rediscovering Connection," Shelley Doyle dives deep into the world of virtual community building with award-winning community builder, artist, author, and emcee, Trish Tonaj. From the East Coast of Canada to the global stage, Trish shares her journey through entrepreneurship, law, and beyond, illustrating how she has used storytelling to connect and empower entrepreneurs worldwide.

We explore the inception of "Share Your Stories," a platform that's grown from a passion project into a vibrant entrepreneurial community that spans five continents, offering visibility and networking opportunities without any financial exchange.

Key topics include:

• The Birth of Share Your Stories: How Trish's experience at Harvard Law School inspired her to create a space for mentorship and storytelling.
• Community Building: Insights into creating a nurturing environment where entrepreneurs can be seen, heard, found, and hired.
• Challenges of Entrepreneurship: Addressing the hurdles, particularly for female entrepreneurs.
• The Impact of Regularity and Consistency: How maintaining a consistent schedule has fostered a loyal community.
• Future Initiatives: The expansion of the Share Your Stories Global Marketing Grant.

Guest Bio:

Trish Tonaj is an author, artist and the founder/host for shareyourstories.online. A passion project, built on a platform of mentorship and breaking barriers to success, featuring global entrepreneurs and enterprise leaders who share their great ideas.

Website: www.shareyourstories.online
Book: Breaking Barriers, 10 Entrepreneurial Women Share Their Stories
Read my story
Watch my live interview

Whether you're an entrepreneur seeking connection or someone yearning to launch a community of your own, this episode offers valuable insights.

Subscribe now and let the magic unfold.

Love & sparkles,
Shelley

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I hope our conversation inspires you to rediscover connection in your personal or professional life.

Subscribe now and let the magic unfold.

Love & sparkles,
✨Shelley

About Your Host

Hi, I’m Shelley Doyle, founder of The Communiverse—a Social Wealth Consultancy. Through our 90-day program, The Social Wealth Roadmap, we empower remote leaders, founders and creators who are craving deeper connection to activate their social wealth, so they can feel deeply connected, trusted, and supported—online, offline and within.
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We are also committed to helping leaders support the social wellbeing of their distributed teams. Combining cutting-edge research on social wealth, social wellbeing and social capital with two decades in corporate communications to deliver mind-shifting talks, workshops, and programs around the world.
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Transcript

0:00

I think there's been so many changes in the last few years that finding a community that serves you and feeds your soul and that you can also share some of your gifts and magic with other people is really what it's all about. Hello and welcome to Rediscovering Connection. I am Shelley Doyle and I'm very blessed today to have Trish Tonei with me, an award winning community builder, artist, author, emcee. I'm sure there's many other things, I understand you did a Uh, went to law school as well. So really interested to dig underneath, um, who Trish Tonight really is. five plus years ago, Trish launched a community called share your story. Stories where she invites entrepreneurs to come a live interview. So every Friday, I believe Trish comes together with one of these entrepreneurs for kind of a fast 20 minute interview of which I did one of these. Um, in this industry, podcasting seems much more prevalent. So doing a live interview for me, definitely for me. Pushed me out of my comfort zone. Um, and then that also combines with a story that we put onto Trish's, um, website, share your stories. And then Trish does an amazing job of holding space for everyone that has published and spoken on her podcast, um, bringing us together at least quarterly for, um, connection events, which are. I would say, I wouldn't even say semi facilitated, they are very facilitated interactions, very intentional interactions, um, taking us off into breakout rooms and allowing us to share space with other really inspiring entrepreneurs from all over the world and all different walks of life. So personally, I've met some phenomenal individuals through this, um, through this community. So. This podcast with Trish is really a big thank you, thank you for creating this community, for holding this space, and being incredibly generous with sharing the amazing connections that you have accumulated along your journey. So hello and welcome Trish, thank you so much for being here. Oh, it's my absolute pleasure. I'm really looking forward to meeting the folks in your audience. And thank you so much for, um, the wonderful introduction and mentioning shareyourstories. online. So thank you for that. Pleasure. So where did this, where did this come from? You've obviously had Many different kind of career paths through your journey of life. Um, was there a calling to kind of rediscover connection in a way of holding this community? Had that been yearning for some time before you bit the bullet and actually went for it? How did that how did that occur? You know, what was really interesting as I took a executive, uh, education course at Harvard law school, it was on mediation and dispute resolution. And it was with, uh, 47 other individuals from around the world. And what I found was that we started sharing stories about really how we got there. You know, who were some of the people that helped us along the way? So this whole idea of mentorship really was born. And then throughout the process. I ended up leaving that course and writing my second book, Breaking Barriers, 10 Entrepreneurial Women Share Their Stories. And within one year of attending Harvard, I had another published book. And then I was out on the speaker circuit talking about mentorship and role models and the importance of, you know, sort of the messaging that we leave behind. And I was meeting amazing individuals like yourself, who said to me, How do I share my story? How do I do this? How do I get, you know, noticed? How do you increase my visibility? And I started to think about that. And before long, I started a guest blog. At the time, I was, uh, doing, um, Marketing, consulting, and coaching with leadership teams. And we shared a hundred stories in the first year. And it was shortly after that, That I bought the URL share your stories dot online, and we ended up starting to feature and we automated everything to make it easy peasy for folks, and we now have stories on five continents, we have over 300 people featured. And as we mentioned, our podcast, we have over 200 podcast guests, where we sort of introduce the person behind the logo. And that's really the intention of the podcast. So good. And you just seem to have got into such a good flow with it, like the consistency. And I think a lot of people that start these podcasts and communities, it is about finding regularity and consistency. possible and positive. And I know you have pushed yourself in some ways, like you used to do a lot of panel discussions with the speakers and you, that, that became a lot. So finding what you, what we can do alongside all of the other commitments that we have in our lives, right? How has that been to find the balance? You know, what's really wonderful is folks like you who have shared their story. We always invite you to invite other folks in your own network. Who may be interested in increasing their visibility. So we, it's really the referrals. I mean, I have to say that probably 80 to 90 percent of the people that are now sharing stories are wonderful individuals like yourself who say, you know what, this was really a great experience. I need to introduce some of my colleagues. So that they too can share their story. So that's really how the community has grown. It's really been based upon trusted referrals. And I'm super appreciative of the people who sort of open up their Rolodex and say, look, you'll have to meet Trish. You've got it, you know, increase your visibility on her podcast and in the guest blog. And it just really creates this wonderful symbiotic relationship. Yes, and a couple of things are coming up for me. Firstly, I feel like I need to say thank you to Mia Jarrett who introduced me to you. That's right. Um, and, and this is how this whole thing works is one person introduces another and then it rolls on from there. Another thing to mention I think is that no money changes hands. That's true. Um, so it feels like a very like. Positive, uh, energetic exchange, kind of time and appreciation for time and appreciation. And it's like we're all winning together. And I think, again, that this is where a lot of people get stuck in thinking, I don't know what to charge. I don't know what people want to pay. Has that, did that occur to you? And there, is there a reason that you decided to just make this open and accessible for everybody? You know, I decided it was going to be my passion project. So I've been an entrepreneur since 1993, believe it or not. I'm probably dating myself a little. Um, but I know what it's like. I've walked the walk and talk the talk for over 30 years of being an entrepreneur. And I really wanted to try to help other individuals. Really. One of the mantras that we've come up with is we want people to be seen, heard, found, and hired. And. Really the whole essence of that is you need to be on multiple platforms with multiple folks talking about your story. And the only way that you can do that is by connecting with other folks, whether it's in your own community or globally. And the wonderful thing about our community is it has become global. You know, we usually get, as you well know, we've got people from five different countries that usually participate in our quarterly networking events. You know, we've got, Usually seven different time zones of folks that are making time to to meet because we do really want folks to have heartfelt connections. And we've seen some awesome collaboration happening from the platform. You know, we've got people in India who are collaborating with people in the United States. You know, we have folks in France who are helping folks in Canada. So it's really wonderful. One thing I've learned this year that I can share Shelly is I've learned that we're all so different and yet the same. We appreciate so many similar challenges. And yet at the same token, people are people, you know, we're all human and we're all experiencing the same challenges, the same joys. And so to be able to find someone in a community that's sort of nonjudgmental, where you know that everyone is in a similar sort of place, that's where the magic happens. So good. And personally, I've made some amazing connections through your community. I recently had Jacqueline Olivero Sella on my podcast. Um, Hirsch attended my recent workshop. Um, and I'm very interested to speak to Susan, the, um, book publisher about the journey. So, yeah, Susan. Such a high caliber of individuals who are all doing, I guess you said about this being your passion project. And I guess a lot of them, they're passionate entrepreneurs. They're doing things that are in their heart and that they, they feel passionate about telling. So yeah, I've met some incredible people. Um, I feel like, oh, there's another piece about the magazine. So you, um, you created a magazine partnerships that that magazine now features. The stories that are told through your podcast and portal is, you know, it's really a wonderful, uh, we've decided for 2025, 2026, we're going to launch a digital magazine that's going to be housed on the website that will feature various different folks and who want to celebrate their great ideas, but it's a sponsorship for our grant program. So the folks that are participating are actually going to be sponsors for our Share Your Stories global marketing grant, which we started this past year. And as you know, you attended that ceremony and we have two winners, one from Ireland and one from Canada. And it's just, it's seed money to help folks with their marketing budget. Because I can certainly say that in interviewing and speaking and sharing stories of all of the folks that we have, the similar. Challenge comes up and that is funding and funding gets in the way of innovation. It gets in the way of expansion. It even gets in the way of collaboration to a certain point. Because we all have a certain budget that we're working with, um, yes, it evolves and flows and changes at, at certain points in times of the year, but we only have a finite amount of money that we can put into marketing. So we started the marketing grant to help folks, just with a little seed money to that maybe they can try something a little bit different. That they haven't tried before. So I'm really interested in seeing how the evolution of that comes about, because we also have formal mentorship. So 12 folks from the share your stories community are offering one hour of their time for one month next year, who are now going to mentor the two grant recipients and help them to kind of expand their knowledge base so that they can be better humans and provide, you know, their products or services on a perhaps a wider stage. It seems like so much is happening with it. How do you make it all possible? Does it, does it flow? Like, um, what's the phrase? It's always like, following the path of least resistance. Is it one of these things that you've gotten going, and actually now you've got the momentum, it actually almost drives itself. You know, to a certain extent, that's very true. But one of the things that I had to do, you know, you were talking about your comfort zone and getting outside of your comfort zone. And I, you know, I'm a big picture thinker. So, um, you know, I've had lots of leadership positions where I had national and international responsibility, very much like yourself. It's very hard to then think small once you've been thinking big. So one of the things that I had to do is I decided to have an advisory board. And we meet four times a year where I get to throw the spaghetti on the wall and say, listen, this is what I'm thinking. What do you think? And sometimes they reign me in and say, Ooh, that sounds like an awful lot. Like that might be a little more than a little more work in your passion project than you'd like to donate your time and effort to. Um, but sometimes they push me out of the comfort zone. Yeah. So, you know, that was a classic example of the marketing grant. I was talking about the grant, we were talking about opportunities and various ways that we could now take the level of commitment to the Share Your Stories community a little bit larger. And they're the ones who said, you know what, I think you can do this. I think this is possible. So we came up with the phrase, funding for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs, because it's folks like yourself who are participating in the grant program. And everyone gives a little so that we have enough. And it's really rather wonderful that, um, we're, we're able to connect with folks who, as you say, are very giving back to a community. They sometimes just need a community that they need to connect with. And ours seems to be the community that everybody is attracted to. And maybe it's because it's a passion project. Maybe it's because we have global reach, or maybe it's just because it feeds their objectives of being able to help other small business owners. I know that the live events are quarterly and I guess it's in the diary at least a month in advance and you don't want to miss it People are really intentional about being present and you know, the screen was full. I don't know how many attendees there were on the, uh, Uh, on that awards ceremony, but there must have been at least 30, if not more. Well, the funny thing was, um, we had 60 people registered globally for the event and I was talking to one of the sponsors and she kind of made this face and said, you do know that only 10 percent of the people who register events actually show up. And I was like, Geez Louise, you got to be kidding. Only six people out of 60 are going to show up. And we actually topped out at 50 people. Um, so 50 people attended the awards and grant ceremony. And I think that's a testament to the room. Who's in the room? You know, who can I connect with? Um, who are the like minded folks that I'm going to be able to meet in some of those breakout sessions, which we use for networking? Um, so I think that it's, If the energy in the room is what attracts people to attend our events, and I think also because they're on zoom. So we try to make it obviously for global I mean I would love to say we could fly all over the world and be doing events live, you know, in various different cities but it's just not practical. And one of the wonderful things that's come out of coven. Is these wonderful platforms, which we're now able to connect with people virtually all over the world. So we've taken advantage of some of the wonderful technology opportunities that have been made to us since COVID, and we're now using it to our advantage. I was trying to do the maths in my head then and I'm struggling. I have a bit of a cold, but that's definitely more than 10%. Yes, for sure. Absolutely. You know, when you say, well, I guess we had about, I would say about over 75%. I mean, you know, we're almost at 90%. Of attendance. And the wonderful thing about the quarterly networking events is we always have a speaker from the community that you've chosen. So, you know, one of the things from the last event we had in September was people were talking about ways in which we can connect with testimonials. And so our speaker in February is actually one of our in kind sponsors from the award ceremony, and she has this awesome platform with 32nd opportunities for us to share testimonials. after a special event or, um, you know, a speaking engagement. And so she's going to be our speaker. And then the folks in February will decide who will be our speaker in May. So you'll pick a topic and then I'll find someone within the network who has that area of expertise. And we invite them to be a speaker for five to seven minutes in the next networking event. So good. Um, well, I just want to applaud you for the consistency and putting yourself out there and just making this happen because you're really serving the community so well, and we're so grateful for you. Um, and anybody that's listening that wants an introduction to Trish, please let me know, and I'll be really happy to make that introduction so you can get your song out there. on share your stories. Um, Trish, is there anything that we haven't covered yet that you think you'd really like to share this? Um, maybe it's, um, something big that's going to be happening for, for you or for your community in 2025. I think the development and expansion of the grant program is something we're really going to put our heart and soul into. So, you know, doing the annual magazine is a huge build because it's giving people a tangible asset. The sponsors will then have a tangible asset that they can use. And we're hoping that we'll get enough uptake that we can expand the grant program from two to three grants. And really that's, I think going to be the focus for the next few years because you know once you put yourself out there and you've established a network of folks who are supporting your cause, I think then you have to be really true to the cause so we're really going to concentrate on. You know, expanding our opportunities for the grant program, continuing to increase the visibility of folks like yourself who participate with us, and really continue to make those really wonderful heartfelt connections that, you know, don't, they sort of cross the line from business into friendship too. And I think that's really an important part because we're all as humans looking for the support of other people who are in small business. And I think there's been so many changes in the last few years that finding a community that serves you and feeds your soul and that you can also share some of your gifts and magic with other people is really what it's all about. So I've, you know, somebody said to me, are you ever going to quit? And I said, well, probably not. As long as there are stories to share, I'll continue with the share your stories initiative. Um, just so that, because it not only feeds my soul, but hopefully it feeds all of the people that join us as well. Totally. And maybe if you don't mind, I'm just going to ask one last question. Just, just about. It feeding your soul and is it serving you like, uh, what I'm working on is like our social health and our social wellbeing. Like, do you feel that satisfaction when you come off either your Friday lives or the quarterly network? Like, does that fill you up? How does that serve you in your like everyday life? You know, I have to say when I started my first business in 1993, it was pretty tough for female entrepreneurs. We didn't have, um, we had very few role models. Um, we had no mentors. You know, I often say when I was speaking, you know, when I started in business and mentor wore a blue suit and a red tie, and there were very few females that we could look up to. So for me, it's all about giving back to that entrepreneurial community because I don't think a lot has changed, which is really rather sad. If we start to look at the global statistics, you know, even though there are 582 million entrepreneurs around the world, um, 76 percent are men who start businesses because funding is easier for them. You know, women are still struggling to be seen, heard, found, and hired because We live in a society that doesn't necessarily promote female entrepreneurship because we're not looked at as being business people were looked at in a totally different way in our societies, and that's being more nurturing and moms and role models and things like that. So I think that for me. It's so symbiotic and it's so amazing because I learned something from every single story I share. We all have to overcome obstacles and barriers and I find that inspiring to read someone's story and say, Wow, like, holy cow, that's a pretty amazing thing that they're doing. So one of the other things that I always share is we're all ordinary people doing extraordinary things. And that's really what the platform is all about. And I just find that the more people that I meet. Um, the more joyful it actually makes me and I've really become very proud of the, of the community that we're building. And I think it's because of people like yourself who participate and give something of yourself to the community as well. So, it's, it's a very nurturing place to be, to be quite honest, and even after 30 years of being in business. There's always something new to learn. And so I really, I really love that about the community. And I think you saying this is really going to be quite inspiring for other people that might be thinking that they've got a community that they want to birth but thinking of all these obstacles and why nots and what would you, what would you say to somebody like that? You know, I have to say, if you have an idea and you have a passion and it keeps waking you up in the middle of the night and you know, you're journaling it and the same words keep coming up or every conversation you have with your colleagues, this idea keeps popping into your head. I really do think then that you just need to take the leap of faith, step outside your comfort zone and do it because what's the worst that could happen. Maybe people will find you and they'll think you're amazing, and they'll start to follow your community. Me. I can't think of anything better to happen. And even if the opposite is true, even if it's a slow go to start with, um, we all meet people in life for a certain reason from, that's my philosophy, you know. And so if you've been really thinking about something and it's niggling you in the back of your mind, what have you got to lose? Just take the bull by the horns and do it. Give it a try. And you know what? The more that we fail, the more that we learn. So the first try out of the gate, you may think, Oh, geez, that wasn't very successful, but you may learn something from it. And then you can tweak it a little bit. And if it's meant to be, it will happen. Fantastic words of wisdom. Thank you so much, Trish. It's been such a pleasure to get to know you and to get to know your story a little bit more. Thank you. I look forward to continuing this journey together and I wish you a very happy Christmas and new year. Thank you so much, Shelley. And to you.